This wikiHow teaches how to convert guitar tab files for the latest version of the Guitar Pro program (.GPX) into a format that can be read by earlier versions of Guitar Pro (.GP5).

Part 1
Part 1 of 3:

Installing TuxGuitar (Windows)

  1. 1
    Install Java. You'll need Java installed on your computer in order to run the program that will convert your GPX files. You can download for Java from the Java website. Once you've downloaded the installer, follow the prompts to install Java.
  2. 2
    Visit the TuxGuitar download site. This free, open-source program can read and convert all GuitarPro file formats. It is available for Windows, Mac, and Linux.
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  3. 3
    Click the Download button. This begins downloading the correct installer for your operating system.
  4. 4
    Double-click the downloaded installer. You'll find this in your Downloads folder once it finishes downloading.
  5. 5
    Click Run if prompted by Windows. Windows may warn you about starting an unknown program.
  6. 6
    Click Next when prompted.
  7. 7
    Click I accept the agreement and then click Next.
  8. 8
    Click Next to accept the default installation location. You can change this if you'd like, but most users won't need to.
  9. 9
    Click Next to start installation.
  10. 10
    Click Finish after installation is complete.
  11. 11
    Double-click the TuxGuitar shortcut on your desktop. You're now ready to convert your GPX files to GP5 format.
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Part 2
Part 2 of 3:

Installing TuxGuitar (Mac)

  1. 1
    Visit the TuxGuitar download site. TuxGuitar is a free, open-source program that you can use to convert your GuitarPro tab files.
  2. 2
    Open Finder. You can find the Finder icon in your Dock.
  3. 3
    Click the Downloads folder. You'll see it listed in the menu on the left side of the Finder window.
  4. 4
    Double-click the tuxguitar-1.X-macosx-cocoa-64.app file. You'll see the tuxguitar Application file appear in the Downloads folder.
  5. 5
    Drag the tuxguitar Application file to the Applications folder.
  6. 6
    Open the Applications folder.
  7. 7
    Right-click the tuxguitar program and select Open. If you double-click it, you'll be warned that you can't start the program because it was downloaded online.
  8. 8
    Click Open in the window that appears. Now that TuxGuitar is open, you can start converting your files.
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Part 3
Part 3 of 3:

Converting GPX to GP5

  1. 1
    Click the File menu in TuxGuitar.
  2. 2
    Click Open.
  3. 3
    Browse for the GPX file you want to convert.
  4. 4
    Select the file and click Open. It may take a few moments for the file to load in TuxGuitar.
  5. 5
    Click the File menu again.
  6. 6
    Click Save As.
  7. 7
    Click the All Supported Formats menu.
  8. 8
    Click Guitar Pro 5. This will tell TuxGuitar to save the file in the GP5 format. You can also select from earlier versions, such as Guitar Pro 3.
  9. 9
    Choose where to save the converted file. By default, it will save to the same location as the original.
  10. 10
    Click the Save button. A new copy of the GPX file will be created at the location you specified with the GP5 extension instead. The original file will not be modified.
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About This Article

wikiHow Staff
Co-authored by:
wikiHow Staff Writer
This article was co-authored by wikiHow Staff. Our trained team of editors and researchers validate articles for accuracy and comprehensiveness. wikiHow's Content Management Team carefully monitors the work from our editorial staff to ensure that each article is backed by trusted research and meets our high quality standards. This article has been viewed 177,947 times.
26 votes - 38%
Co-authors: 10
Updated: June 3, 2021
Views: 177,947
Categories: Guitar
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